Doctor Answers 6

The Challenge of Dealing with Complications of Medical Tourism Cosmetic Surgery

December 1st, 2010

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Regarding: "Should I Seek a Consult for my Lipo and Tummy Tuck Results?
Hi, I had a full tummy tuck and liposuction done three weeks ago in Dominican Republic. I now have a knot on the top of my stomach and my sides are very hard. I don’t know what it is and how it happened. Can I go and see a doctor in the states?"

You now should look for a Plastic surgeon to examine you and treat you. But it will not be easy.

The real problem with having surgery done away from where you live is that you will need to quickly find someone ELSE to take care of you should anything go wrong. Most American Plastic Surgeons are VERY reluctant to take on the care of people who went abroad for cosmetic surgery because the problems are often much more challenging and expensive than the original operations AND because such price sensitive patients often strike and sue the doctors who tried to help them.

Tummy Tuck Pictures

Tummy tuck done in a foreign country needs repair

May 30th, 2010

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Tummy tucks are a popular and effective way to contour the abdomen. Every year many Americans travel to another country to receive aesthetic surgery to save money.Unfortunately, they learn the difficult lesson that sometimes the cheapest surgeries and it being the most costly.
If you are experiencing discomfort, pain, or fever present as soon as possible to a board-certified plastic surgeon who has a great deal of experience in abdominoplasty and body contouring. They need to assess you and your tissue to make sure that you are healing well and that you are not developing a serious complication that could endanger your tissue or your life.

To learn more about tummy tucks, see photos, and help you decide which one is best for you, please visit us at the link below:

Depends upon the doctor

August 4th, 2009

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Hello,

While I feel for your situation, many domestic plastic surgeons shy away from patients who have had surgery in third world countries. The reason is liability. I occasionally agree to see such patients, but have them sign a disclaimer that I cannot be held responsible for the treatment received by their former doctor. The law does not protect domestic doctors very well who treat such patients. This is sad, but true.

Find a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area

March 27th, 2009

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Absolutely you can and should see a doctor in the states to find out what's going on. I'd strongly recommend finding a certified plastic surgeon in your area who has experience with the abdominoplasty procedure.

If you should need a revision, and I'm not saying that you DO, but if that should be the diagnosis, I ask patients to wait for a year after their initial surgery before moving forward with any surgical revisions.

In your case, I'd still recommend that you see a surgeon now to rule out any critical problems that might need to be addressed immediately.

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have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute
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